Pneumatic action for automatic musical instruments.



H. E. GAMBLE.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1911.

1,291,670. Patented Jan. 14,1919.

Inventor 4- y .4 ttcrney.

UNITED STATES PATENT carton HERVEY EVELYN GAMBLE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed June 4, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERVEY EVELYN GAMBLE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 149 Albion road, Stoke Newington, London, N., England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Pneumatic Actions for Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pneumatic actions for automatic musical instruments of the kind in which the valve controlling the striking pneumatic is operated by a diaphragm subject to the continued action of .the main exhaust and operated by the admission of air by way of the tracker bar port and in which the valve is disposed between two valve seats in a valve chamber superposed upon a chamber provided with the diaphragm and in which passages or ports are provided to effect communication between the valve chamber and the striking pneumatic and between the diaphragm chamber and the vacuum chest.

The invention has for its object to provide an operating valve and valve casing for striking pneumatics, simple in construction and easily accessible for repair.

According to the invention the valve casing is provided with a metal part detachable from the main part of the casing and unconnected with the striking pneumatic for application beneath the main part of the valve casing at the position where the chamber is formed communicating with the exhaust, the said metal part being provided with a cavity or diaphragm chamber and serving to hold the diaphragm between its upper face and the lower face of the main part of the valve casing and to communicate from beneath the diaphragm with the tracker bar.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 represents in sectional elevation a pneumatic action constructed according to the invention, while Fig. 2 is a plan corresponding to Fig. 1.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one construction, I provide the valve casing of metal in three parts a b and c, the main art or section a being centrally disposed and serving to carry at one end the port or passage a by which communication Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Serial No. 172,657.

is made with the striking pneumatic cl, a flange a being provided at the lower end of this part of the central section a of the valve casing by which the central section and the upper and lower sections or parts I) and 0 carried by it may be mounted upon the upper or stationary member d of the pneumatic. The central section a is provided with its upper and lower surfaces a a parallel. On the upper surface at; at one end the port or passage (4 comnnmicating with the pneumatic (Z emerges, while near the other end a central hole and a valve seat a are provided. On the underside an elongation cavity a is formed which is advantageously of an oblong form, which communicates with the exhaust tube or chest 6 by means of a port a which extends to the opposite end of the central section where a flange a is provided laterally extending on each side of the Port, and by means of which communication may be made with the exhaust chest 6. The flange a is secured to the exhaust tube or chest e with an air tight joint. l/Vithin the elongated cavity a formed on the underside of the central section a and in a central position, an arm f extends for the purpose of carrying the lower end of the valve spindle g within a hole in the arm f which is concentric with the valve seat.

The arm 7 is secured in position on the under side of the section a by means of a single screw 70, its position being determined by means of parallel ribs a by which a cavity is formed on the under-side of the section within which the arm 7 fits so that thus the arm f is set into exact position and fixed in that position by the use of a single screw.

The upper section b of the valve casing is provided as an elongated cover plate which extends to the rear, and on the underside is formed with a cavity 79 which extends to cover over the passage or port a in the central section on communicating with the striking pneumatic (Z, so that thus a chamber is formed which extends from one end of the casing at which the port or passage a emerges leading to the pneumatic (Z, to the other at which the valve 9 is mounted, and at this end a hole 6 is formed in the upper section 6 corresponding in size and position face 4 to the hole a formed for the valve seat of the valve 9 in the central section a; and on the upper face of the upper section I) an arm it extends into or over this hole'b to a central position in coincidence with the protruding arm f provided on theunder side of the central section a, and these respective arms h and f serve to carry the upper and lower ends of the valve spindle g and to guide the spindle in the movement of the valve 9 from its .seat upon the top of the central section a; of the casing to its seat upon the underside of the upper section 6 thereof. These respective arms h and 7 may be integrally provided with their respective sections. I prefer, however to provide the arm h separate from the section b and to set thearm h in position by means similar to that by which the arm f is set. For this purpose parallel ribs ZJ are-provided upon the upper face of the section Z) of the casing to form arecess within which the arm 7 may fit sothat thus. the. armh may be set into its exact position for car-rying the spindle g by means of a single screw Z. The single screw l may at the same time serve for securing the upper section 6 to the lower sect-ion a. For this purpose aboss is provided protruding on the underside of the section b, which on the section I) being placed in its proper position upon the section a lies in contact with the By such'means the section b is secured in its proper position upon the section'a by a single screw which at the same time serves to set the arm h in position to register with the arm 7".

The section b may be provided at one end, that is :to say at the end near the exhaust pipe e with a lug 5 a corresponding recess being formed immediately beneath for the accommodation of theboss a" provided upon the upper face of the section b. ;The front edge of. this boss a may be provided with a circular face of a curvature corresponding to the circular face of the frontend of the section Z) so that thuswhen the section I) is placed in position upon the section a it readily assumes its central position in reg-ister with the lower section. Any other means may, however, be provided to insure the register or alinement of the uppersection?) atone or other end. Or again another screw may. be provided to secure the lug 0 to the boss a".

The section Z) issecured to the section a a metal to metal joint'which maybe renif I'claim:

phragm 2' which communicates with the port 0 leading to the end of the section. The end of the section is provided with a flange c for connection with the end of the exhaust duct leading to the tracker bar. The

exhaust duct is thus connected to the lower section by a metal to. metal joint which may be rendered air tight by means usually employed.

1.111 a pneumatic action for automatic musical instruments in combination, a valve casing of metal connected at one end to the exhaust and at the other end to the stationary member of the striking pneumatic, the said valve casing being provided with a chamber communicating with the exhaust, a metal part detachable from the main part of the valve casing and unconnected with the striking pneumatic for application be tween the main part of the said valve casing and the striking pneumatic, the said metal part being provided with a diaphragm chamber-and serving to hold the diaphragm between its upper face and the lower face of the valve casing and to communicate from beneath the diaphragm with the tracker bar, substantially as described.

2. In a pneumatic action for automatic musical instruments in combination, a valve casing of metal connectedat one end to the exhaust chest and at the other endto the stationary member of: the striking pneumatic, said valve casing having a chamber communicating with the exhaust, a metal 100 part detachable from the main, part of the valve casing and unconnected with the striking pneumatic for application between the main part of the said valve casing and the striking pneumatic, said metal part being 105 diaphragm with the tracker bar, and a 110 metal cover plate-having on its underside a cavity adapted to extend over andupon said valve casing from one end atwhich the passage emerges leading to the pneumatic to the other at which the valve is mounted, subexhaust chest and at theother'end to the stationary member of the-striking pneumatic, said valve casing having a chamber communicating with the exhaust, a .metal part detachablefrom the main ,part of the valve casing. and unconnected with the strik- 1 ing pneumatic for application between the main part of the said 'valvecasingand the striking pneumatic,'the saidmetal part be mg provided with a diaphragm chamberv and serving to hold the diaphragm between its upper face and the lower face of the valve casing and to communicate from beneath the diaphragm With the tracker bar, a metal cover plate having on its underside a cavity adapted to extend over and upon said valve casing from one end at Which the passage emerges leading to the pneumatic t0 the other at which the valve is mounted, and means for carrying the valve comprising arms fitted Within recesses formed by ribs 011 the main part of the casing and on the cover plate respectively, substantially as described.

HERVEY EVELYN GAMBLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

